Fire-escape.



PATBNTBD MAB.. 3, 1903.

J. J. JOHNSTON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIUATION FILED 0012.16. 1902.

sHnBTsrsHnM 1.

'nim f lll'lllll-lll Wl III l* I l ll lf3 V N0 MODEL.

PATENTED MAR. 3, 1 903.

J. J. JOHNSTON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 00116, 1902.

2 BHEETSSHHET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Irwey-zor;

Y HB' STATES ArirNr OFFICE.

JOHN J. JOHNSTON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,110, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed October 16, 1902.

T0 @ZZ whom it r11/ty concern;

Be it known Ythat I, JOHN J. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of that description ofiire-escapes in which one end of the life-rope is attachedv to a weighted piston or plunger arranged within an upright pneumatic tube, the rope passing overa pulley or pulleys at the upper end of the tube and being provided at its free end with means for attachment to a cage or basket or to a sling or strap fastened to the person desiring to descend to the ground.

With this object in view myinvention consists in the combination, with an upright pneumatic tube, a weighted plunger or piston movable therein, and a rope or chain passing over a pulley or pulleys and having one end secured to said piston, of a rope-clamping mechanism adapted to be automatically set or Operated to lock the rope when its free end arrives at its normal raised position opposite the window, whereby said free end or the cage or basket attached thereto will be held immovably in place until released by the person desiring to descend.

My invention also consists in certain other novel combinations of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of myimproved fire-escape, parts being removed to show the interior construction. Fig.` 2 isa vertical section through the center of my fireescape drawn on a reducedscale. Fig. 3 is a view of a building having two ofmy iire-es capes applied thereto. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail to be referred to. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the yielding stop.

In the said drawings,A represen ts the front wall of a building to which my improved fireescape is applied.

B is an upright air-tube which is closed at its bottom and extends from the ground to the window-casing C, where it is provided Serial No. 127,604. (No model.)

with a curved` head or top piece ot, preferably made to swivel on the main upright portion of the tube by means of a joint 10, so that it may be brought close to the Window, if desired, or swung away when not required for use. The tube B is securely held in its proper vertical position by means of straps or clips 12, as shown in Fig. 3, and is closed just above the joint 10 by a diaphragm or partition 14, provided with a small central aperture 15.

Within the tube B is a weighted piston or plunger D, Fig. 2, provided with suitable packing to cause it to closely fit the interior of the tube, and to this piston is secured one end of a life rope or cable 16, which extends up through the aperture 15 in the diaphragm 14, thence over a series of pulleys 18, arranged within the arched head a, and down through the open end thereof, where the outer or free end of the rope is provided with a yielding stop E, having at its bottom a hook 2O or other suitable means for attachment to a cage, basket, or other device or to a belt or sling fastened to the body of a person desiring to escape in the event of lire. The stop E consists of a cylindrical box or casing, preferably composed of two parts b c, fitted one within the other and secured together by screws, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner portion c being provided at its bottom with an eye d to receive the hook 20; but the hook may be made integral with the part c, if desired. Vithin the inner portion c is a piston or head 7, to which the end of the rope is secured, and between said head f and the top of the portion o, through which the rope passes, is a strongy helical spring g, adapted to yield when the weight of a person desiring to escape is applied thereto for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The piston f is provided with vertical grooves 17, as shown in Fig. 4, in which fit guide-ribs 9, projecting from the part c, a suitable stop 8, Fig. 6, being provided to limit the downward movement of the parts b o when under heavy strain. As the person descends the weighted piston D is drawn up within the tube B, the air escaping slowly through the aperture 15 in the diaphragm 14 and being consequently compressed, thereby preventing a too-sudden descent of the person to the ground. As soon as the person has reached the ground IOO and is freed from the rope the weight D will immediately descend in the tube and return the free end of the rope to its normal elevated position, as shown in Fig. l. The tube B is provided with an aperture 2l, located at such distance from its lower end that the Weight D will cover and close said opening just before reaching the termination of its descent, thus producing an air-cushion to check the descent of the weight and prevent any shock or concussion when it reaches the ground, while when the weight is resting at the bottom of the tube it will uncover the opening 2l, thereby admitting the air to the tube as required.

In order that the free end of the rope or the cage or basket which may be attached thereto may be held immovably in place until the person is ready to descend, I provide a rope-clamping mechanism, which will be automatically applied by the rope itself on reaching the limit of its upward movement, as will now be described.

Immediately above the joint 10 the arched head a, is enlarged to form a chamber 22, the front oil; which is closed by a removable plate 23, Fig. 5. Within this chamber is a stationary vertical abutment 2li, having serrations on the face next to the rope 16, which runs parallel therewith. On the opposite side of the rope is an inwardly and upwardly inclined abutment 25, having a smooth face, and between the rope and the abutment 25 is placed a vertically-sliding clamping-wedge 26, having serrations on its vertical face, which lies next to the rope, and having a pin or stud 27, which engages a slot 28-in a horizontal hand-lever 29, fulcrumed at 30 and having its outer end forked to embrace the rope I6, whereby as the rope is raised to its normal elevated position the stop E will be brought into contact with the outer end of the lever 29, thus raising it and causing the wedge 26 by its contact with the inclined abutment 25 to engage the rope, which will then be gripped between said wedge and the serrated abutment 24 and im movably locked in such manner that any downward strain on the free end of the rope will tend to clamp it with additional force. Consequently as long as the lever 29 is supported by the stop E in the position shown in Fig. l the end of the rope, or the cage or basket attached thereto, will be held immovably in place to allow a person desiring to escape convenient opportunity to connect himself with the rope or get into the car or basket attached thereto before it commences to descend. As soon as the weight of the person is applied to the stop E it will be drawn down against the resistance of the spring g, leaving sufficient space between the top of the stop E and the handlever 29 to allow the latter to be depressed, as is necessary to relieve the rope-clamp, when the person desiring to escape Will descend with the rope slowly and with perfect safety to the ground, and on the release of the rope it will be immediately raised by the weight D to its normal elevated position and be automatically locked by the clamping mechanism previously described ready for another person, if required.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction of the rope-clamping mechanism herein shown and described above or to that of the yielding stop at the free end of the rope, as variations may be made in the same to produce similar results without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The above-described [ire-escape is designed to provide means of escape for one floor or story only of a building, there being one of these tire-escapes for each floor, as shown in Fig. 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fire escape comprising an upright pneumatic tube, a weighted piston movable therein, a rope passing over a pulley or pulleys at the upper end of said tube and having one end fastened to said piston, a yielding stop secured to the free end of the rope and provided with means for attachment to a person or object, a rope-clamping mechanism provided with an outwardly-extending hand-lever embracing the rope outside the said tube and adapted to be lifted by the contact therewith of said yielding stop to automatically clamp the rope and lock the same in its normal raised position ready to receive the person desiring to escape.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination with an upright pneumatic tube and weighted piston or plunger movable therein, and a liferope passing over a pulley or pulleys at the upper end of said tube and having one end secured to said piston, of a rope-clamping mechanism provided with an outwardly-extending lever embracing the rope outside the tube and a yielding stop at the free end of the rope, said stop ou reaching the end of its upward movement acting on the clampinglever to raise the same and thereby automatically lock the rope and hold it in its normal raised position, and said stop being also provided with means for attachment to a person or object and being adapted to be carried down independently of the rope by the weight of the person attached thereto sufficiently far below said clamping-lever to permit of its being depressed to unlock and release the rope when the person is ready to descend.

3. A iire escape comprising an upright pneumatic tube, a weighted piston or plunger movable therein, a life-rope passing over a pulley or pulleys and having one end secured to said piston, a rope-clampingmechanism consisting of a casing having a stationary serrated abutment, a stationary smooth faced inclined abutment opposite thereto, an outwardly-extending brake-lever embracing the life-rope outside said tube, and a serrated wedge movable longitudinally between the said abutments and connected IOC IIO

by means of a slot and piu with said lever, l spring' yielding to permit the casing to be ear- Whereby the rope is clampedwhen the said Tied down by the weight of a person applied lever is raised, a yielding stopatthe free end thereto, out of Contact With the clamping- I5 of the rope adapted to contact with and raise l lever, whereby the latter is left free to be 5 The lever to clamp the rope when at the end depressed to unlock and release the rope of its upward movement, said stop consisting when the person is ready to descend. of a cylindrical casing provided at its lower Vitness myhand this 14th day of October, end with means for attachment to a person A. D. 1902.

or object and having a piston to which the JOHN J. JOHNSTON. Io free end of the rope is attached, and a spring In presence of-n between said piston and the npperend of the P. E. TESCHEMACHER,

casing through which the rope passes, said i J. E. MALONEY. 

